Hasta La Gadget!

While it’s probably safe to say that the rush of pico projectors has slowed to a trickle, that’s not stopping a few of the early entrants from dishing out new and improved models as the second wave builds. AAXA, the outfit responsible for serving up the pint-sized P1 back in February, is demonstrating exactly what a hasty refresh cycle looks like by dishing out the higher-res P2 just a few months later. The LCoS-based pico projector packs an SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, a 33 lumen LED light source, 1GB of onboard memory, a microSD card reader and even a built-in battery good for around 35 minutes of beaming (or in other terms, nearly two full episodes of Entourage). The device checks in at just 4.3- x 2.3- x 1-inches and sports a VGA input, 3.5mm headphone output and a mini USB socket to boot. Feel free to pre-order yours now for $349 — or, you know, wait for a 720p model.

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

Filed under: Displays

AAXA ups the ante with SVGA P2 pico projector originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thought you had it all set with a 14-inch TV and an NES in your room as a kid? Then you might want to look away for a minute, lest your childhood memories be diminished. Everyone else can take a good look at this 98-inch screen that Patti Deni had installed flush in the ceiling of her son’s bedroom. At the center of the setup is an NEC projector paired with some Draper projection mirrors, which fills that 98-inch StarGlas60 display with some full HD images than can be viewed from just about any angle. As you might expect, however, this wasn’t exactly the easiest of installs, and apparently even involved reframing and reinforcing the ceiling. No word on any mom of the year awards just yet, but the setup itself has at least attracted the attention of Electronic House’s Home of the Year awards.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Mom installs 98-inch screen in son’s bedroom ceiling, deservedly garners award nomination originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the global economic crisis has swept aside a number of early innovators in mobile technology, Light Blue Optics finds itself flush with cash this morning. Having secured $15 million in funding, the UK outfit now plans to have its laser-based pico projection engine to OEMs by the end of the year; a move that should result in a tiny retail projector sometime in the first half of 2010. Why should you care? Well, unlike all those LED-based pico projectors now saturating the market, laser-based projectors offer more vivid colors and the ability to auto-focus that mobile image as it’s moved about. Even better, LBO has touch-enabled the system allowing users to interact with the projected display. A second generation engine about the size of a sugar cube will ultimately allow the technology to be embedded in mobile devices like cellphones as we’re already seeing with LED-based engines. Since the supplied image above totally misrepresents the first generation device, we’ve embedded a video of the tech, first published in March, after the break. Skip to the 3-minute mark if you want to avoid the pitch.

[Via PicoProjector-info]

Continue reading Light Blue Optics’ touch-based laser projector hitting manufacturers in Q4 — will look nothing like this image

Filed under: Displays

Light Blue Optics’ touch-based laser projector hitting manufacturers in Q4 — will look nothing like this image originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s really hard to say how much of a value this DIY HD projector is, given we’re missing some crucial specs like resolution (gotta be at least 720p, right?), contrast ratio, and luminosity. Still, at €500 (about $708 US) for the whole kit, it’s not a bad deal if you planned on spending your weekend doing projects anyway. All the pieces come in four separate bundles — HD optic, light, housing, and electronics — and if you need some handholding (it’s okay, so do we), there’s a German-language instruction manual that’s thankfully full of pictures and diagrams, and even more entertaining, we’ve got a video / picture slideshow of the process done to a playful techno ditty. Check it out after the break.

Update: Yup, it’s 1280×768.

[Via Slashgear, thanks Gary K.]

Read – DIY HD projector kit
Read – Instruction manual

Continue reading DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-€500 price range

Filed under: Home Entertainment

DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-€500 price range originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pocket projectors — if they aren’t quite ‘all the rage’ — crop up all over the place these days. Beambox has teamed up with MiLi (makers of some fine iPhone chargers) on this newest one. The MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector works in conjunction with your iPhone or iPod touch, docking it into the unit which then acts as projector and charger in one. The LCOS projector boasts 10 lumens of brightness for VGA projection of an image from 3 to 70 inches. It’ll be about $255 when it’s released around the end of July. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading BeamBox outs MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector for iPhone, iPod touch

Filed under: Displays

BeamBox outs MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector for iPhone, iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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